Media Focus On Weiner's Salacious Pics; Ignore Vicious Smear Campaign

Anthony Weiner is attempting a full media blitz in preparation for a campaign for mayor of New York City, and the media is doing their part in helping the disgraced congressman out.  

A New York Times Magazine cover story featuring Weiner and his wife Huma Abedein is being described as a “confessional,” with a contrite Weiner opening up and owning up to his past transgressions and bad behavior. However, the media seems to be willfully ignoring the most egregious and disgraceful aspects of what was Weinergate: His lying smear of this publication and its founder, Andrew Breitbart. 

Not only did Anthony Weiner lie about sending x-rated photos to young women on the Internet; he claimed he had been hacked and he implicated Breitbart News and Andrew Breitbart, specifically, as being complicit in the alleged crime.  You would think that the media would never forgive such a lie, but instead they act as though it never happened.  

All you see from the media coverage of Weiner’s career resurrection is discussion of the salacious, sexual behavior. This allows Weiner to position himself as the chagrinned and penitent sinner who has learned from his personal flaws and has made good to his long-suffering wife.  

But, what has Weiner done to make amends for allowing a week-long witch-hunt to occur during the first week of June, 2011? Why has Weiner not been pressed to answer for the vicious lies told about Breitbart? Would the media be so forgiving if Weiner accused the New York Times or Huffington Post of hacking his Twitter account?

By merely focusing on the sexual pictures and not of the lying and the cover-up, the media is guilty of giving Weiner a complete pass on his worst offense.  You’d think journalists who witnessed the Clinton scandal and Watergate would know that the cover-up is always the worst aspect of the crime in question.  You’d think.